This blog was created to honor the memory of Lebanese heroes of all sects who were assassinated for their patriotic stands. May God bless their souls and bless Lebanon.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Lebanon's Ahab

Yesterday, I witnessed a sad and somewhat pathetic spectacle… a sight that reminded me of a documentary concerning Hizballah, in which a cleric who accompanied Nasrallah to Qom said something akin to the following: “Nasrallah stood out from the very beginning – he was brilliant. However, his brilliance revolved exclusively around the matter of Israel. In all other matters, even those concerning religion and theology, he was relatively mediocre.”

Yesterday, I watched a man that I once had a modicum of respect for, make a fool of himself. On that screen, he might as well have been naked - because all who wanted to could see through the garbs of confidence and impregnability covering his body.

For all his arrogant slogans about eliminating corrupt government; for all his mocking of political rivals; for all the talk from his supporters about ‘clean hands;’ for all of that nonesense, Nasrallah, yesterday revealed to his audience that he, the leader of the holy muqawama, is as full of hot air as the rest of his counterparts in Lebanon's political elite are – yet more dangerous because of his agenda.

Yesterday, Nasrallah articulated to the Lebanese people what he wanted. He asked all Lebanese, “across sectarian lines,” for support. Why? Because, 1) He wants war against Israel 2) And he wants a “fair, representative and clean national-unity government” with at least a third of the ministers to wage his war against Israel. Period. Everything else he said (and I mean everything), somehow found their way back to those two points.

And for all this religious cleric's talk about the nonsectarian nature of his movement, his biggest crowd pleasers (and he knew they would be, as he recorded his speech) were phrases like “you are a people that rises above pain,” and “you are a people that will not be intimidated,” and “you are a people who survived the heaviest onslaught of bombardment in recent memory.” Politically, he added, “we” seek “fair representation,” and “we” deserve a “national unity government,” etc, etc….

A reasonable question to ask at this juncture is: under what premise does Nasrallah base his argument that this government cannot be characterized as “fair?” Is his premise constitutional? Is it legal? Is it religious? Or is it based on foreign policy decisions? I want to know… What is his premise?

For as far as I can tell, Parliament’s make-up – and I’m talking about a parliament that Hizballah is very much a part of – dictates that this government (even as it exists today) is constitutionally “fair” and representative.

Yet, all this talk is merely marginal. What really surprised me yesterday, was what seemed to be Nasrallah’s rhetorical, but more importantly, mental limitations. The man appeared almost unable to formulate any arguments outside of the paradigm of war with Israel. Even when he sought to escape from it, he quickly ran back into his comfort zone, and spouted out the same pedestrian language with the expected accompanying haughty, arrogant tone. In short, his performance yesterday portrayed a man who cannot but infuse the struggle against Israel into every subject delved into, be it regarding issues of representation, or such mundane matters as social welfare, health-care and even street-cleaning.

In light of this realization, I asked myself: is this one-dimensional human being actually selling himself as a leader? This man who, like Ahab, captain of the Pequod, seems utterly overwhelmed by his irrational and uncontrollable drive to find and kill the ever-elusive Moby Dick – whatever the cost to himself and his companions. A man who, outside of his single obsession, appears as one who stumbles over and over again as he struggles to walk inside of a pitch-dark room!

Today, finally, one certainty has emerged: I can and will, with a clear conscience, rebuke all of Nasrallah’s supporters – especially those who argue that he has earned their support because of their unfounded assumption that he is somehow a more capable leader/governor/politician than his counterparts.

On that note, allow me to present at least some good news: Nasrallah may be aware of his limitations, and seeks merely to help bring about an environment in which he may do what he loves most. Simply put, the man seeks calm waters that would permit him to return to and focus on his hunt! It is for this particular reason that I will also, and again with clear conscience, rebuke those who argue that they support Nasrallah because they believe he has “clean hands.”

For if those among the political elite who are said to have “dirty hands” were to allow Nasrallah to feel comfortable enough to return to his obsession, the Seyyid would give them free reign to pillage and plunder as much as they saw fit. He did it before, and he'll do it again.

No, Lebanon… Nasrallah is not the answer. No, Hizballah... Nasrallah is not even your answer either. The Southern front is no more. The only way you can open it back up is by destroying the country. Therefore, for your sake, and the sake of the country, I implore that you seek new leadership.

34 comments:

Raja, you address in greater depth the contrast that I laid out when i compared the Nasrallah speech to Lincoln's second inaugural address. When you read Lincoln, you are struck by the sheer majesty of that man. There was no need for bombast and name calling, there was evident self doubt and humility, that did not detract from his leadership, his humanity. Nasrallah is a one trick pony, I don't think he has ever given a second of thought to privatization, floating currency and any issue in the economic realm, or freedom of press, of assembly etc... Your Ahab comparison is most appropriate, for he is not a statesman that is for sure.

Great post raja, I think you put into words what many of us were thinking.

... Unfortunately (not to me), I am no big fan of religious zealoutry in any of its forms, and I don't think that the ends justify the means or that you can ever justify any means to achieve certain ends... To cut the rambling short, the above 3 sentences sum up my disapproval of Hizballa, the means that they use to achieve their goals, and more importantly their goals.

Now here is the question, lets say for argument's sake (and it ain't gonna happen in a monolothic organization like HA) that they do replace nasralla as chair. And lets assume we get in his place a multi-dimensional leader. One who does have a plan for the economy and for the society as well as for foreign affairs and defence. Would we better off unleashing the ideological and theocratic beast that lies beneath the not-too-deep surface of HA.

In my opinion there is no way of dealing "correctly" with HA, simply because they cannot compromise and they cannot be uprooted. They are structured and they function in such a way that they simply can't concede. Not any more. With the southern front closed for the moment and the government moving on a path of pro-western policies in anticipation of a tribunal report that will be damning to HA's syrian allies. In the midst of a regional struggle in which Iran is pitted against the west. With the president of Lebanon, their ally, on the way out (in aobut a year), and a parliamentary deadlock on his replacement approaching, the government is simply critical since it will be in charge of the entire executive branch once the president is out. The majority controls parliament too, so I don't think they would be in any rush to end the deadlock... Thus, I don't think HA and its allies have any alternatives short of toppling the government and having over one third in its replacement. Anything short of that spells another defeat that they can stack up with the rest of the defeats they have been piling up, i.e. the Syrian withdrawal and the recent war with the UNIFIL effectively closing the border to HA... Their backs are against the proverbial wall, and as they say "desperate people do desperate things". (credit to fubar on the last sentence).

Raja, I don't think Nasrallah is as one-dimensional as you make him out to be. Hizballah's protests now have multiple goals, but they build on the momentum of the summer war. The Israel rhetoric serves to bring out the political capital that Hizballah has accumulated by surviving the war. So, it is no surprise that Nasrallah kept bringing it up.

As for your criticism of "clean hands", I completely agree with that. I also feel that whatever respect I had for the man has been squandered when he started sounding and acting like any Lebanese politician.

Question though (and I don't mean this facetiously). There are constant criticims on the blogs I visit of Hizballah and Nasrallah. How come there's little of anyone else? Does it have to do with the confessional make up? Or have I just been popping in at the wrong moments?

suha, maybe part of it is sectarian. but i think the criticism stems more from the man's actions. as for myself, i just see that times are changing, but this one party refuses change. I see a Lebanon that wants to close out one chapter of its history and move on to the next, but one man, one party, struggling to prevent the pages from turning. That determination, to me, is Hizballah's greatest sin.

you raise valid concerns. Whether Hizballah can truly morph into a peaceful party is still an open question. However, the party does have different components to it - more benevolent components - that could rise up to the surface. or at least that is my hope.

Raja, thanks for a very timely post. We all need to understand that Hizaballa is currently playing defense by being on the offensive. The dire situation in Iraq coupled with an early beginning of a lame duck Bush presidency effectively neutralizes the UN resolutions as far as Nasrallah is concerned and affords him the ability to be aggressive.

All we have to do is avoid being dragged into a civil war, which we couldnt possibly win and give him enough room to shout and scream. Eventually, the people around him will get bored.

Raja,I could happily join the applause for your post, if I was not concerned because of the doubt I have that similar discussions and opinions as in your post are taking place now all over Lebanon.

True, it is quite clear for you the single dimension, unfit for national leadership and non-reliable character of Nasralla.But.. sadly.. those features are easily non-evident in the eyes of masses.This is my concern.

Very thoughtful posts! Nasrallah presents us at best with fraudulent mediocrity hovering around an opportunistic "resistant" stance against Israel that left Lebanon against his will in May 2000, thus officially fulfilling Resolution 425 which he and friends used to claim was the only thing they wanted. On the subject of distributing certificates of patriotism and finger-pointing traitors, tell me how you'd qualify the following: I know a guy, Samer T., who told me after the July war that he'd evacuated his parents to Syria on July 10 on information that all hell was about to break loose. Now this guy is extremely polished, brilliant even, well introduced in all the region's major corporations and to some political parties, and also a devout Moslem. He refused to tell me how he knew. But there is only one possibility: It is that someone from Hizbullah told him. Perhaps someone dissenting with the leadership because it didn't believe in consequences of their planned action as catastrophic as the Shalit war in Gaza, perhaps someone close to the leadership who knew, with the leadership, that disaster would be forthcoming. In the first case, Nasrallah comes out as a Stalinian character deciding to wage war against all the hard evidence that it would be disaster (much like Stalin refusing to believe his intelligence before Germany's imminent attack in June 1941) and therefore pretty much irresponsible; in the second case, the one I tend to favor, he knew the consequences and he did it anyway only for internal political reasons. In this case, he comes out not only as his usual reckless hostage-taking cynical self but also as an unqualified traitor. Frankly, Siniora's stock shot up in my books when Nasrallah insinuated that he'd given orders to the army to intercept weapons shipments to Hizbullah. That was plain and simple the right thing to do: Nasrallah's "resistance" is Lebanon's only to the extent that it is shoven down our throats (witness the unfortunate initial statement of the Council of Ministers "Bayan Wizari").

Hassan Nasrallah acquired a new label: The Liar in chief of the bashari/iranni camp in the Lebanon. Many people were impressed by his ways of speech and his magic. They never thought that this man is a seasoned liar. He lied in past and he will lie in the future. You know the nature of this man by observing this 'Gobels" like yellow propaganda machine that has lead to the creation of an army of brainwashed people who will follow their unique leader into the abyss.

There's smothing called national socialism, nazi fascist ideology and this party of Iran represents a manifestation of it in Lebanon now in 2006.

Absolutely true.u see hizbullah culture is based on hatred and irrationality. they rely on their hatred, and have gone to extreme length that they forgot to love their country in a minimum limit. when a generation is raised on hatred, revenge and oppression, it becomes so vulnerable and susceptile to be lead and brainwashed. it's a suicidal mentality: the victim that wants to remain a vicitm to justify his need for revenge. on the other hand, u find other lebanese groups that supports hizbullah merely because nasrallah is the new trend, the new Rocky or Rambo, which means that u've got 2 groups, the first brainwashed from birth and the second searching desperately for an identity,a hero.times are scary to the point no one should think about leaving the country, not anymore.Dona

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